When my daughter was only a couple months old, I was changing her diaper using a picnic table. At one point, I turned around for a quick moment (probably swapping the diapers). When I turned back, she was halfway off the table with her legs kicking madly in the air. As I was about to yell at her, I realized that she had no idea what was happening , let alone what was about to.
Parenting is a wonderful way to study about growth. It is also a wonderful time to learn how to teach responsibility.
The first trick for parenting is how to respond to the first few stages of that child’s life. As soon as that baby learns how to grab, into the mouth it goes! A good response is to provide only safe things in the immediate environment.
When a toddler starts to crawl and walk, it is so essential to limit where that kid can go.
In time, the child learns how to share and hold hands.
But even then, one day on 34th street in New York my daughter would walk quickly ahead. People would watch at this little girl seemingly walking all alone. Their concerns became relieved as they saw me almost running after her. One person even asked me if I was her father. How gratifying to me that I was not the only one concerned with her wellbeing.
In time, and the hope was, she, and later her younger brother, would learn how self-limit where to walk. Think: dark alleys, abandoned buildings, who to hang out with.
